Peppermint Meltaways
Peppermint meltaways are soft, buttery cookies with a light peppermint flavor, made from simple ingredients and ready in just 20 minutes. These easy-to-make treats are perfect for any occasion, with a melt-in-your-mouth texture that everyone will love.
Servings: 12
Calories: 172kcal
Ingredients
Cookies
- ⅓ cup unsalted butter very soft room temperature
- ⅓ cup sweetened condensed milk
- ½ teaspoon peppermint extract
- 1 cup cornstarch plus 1-2 tablespoons
Frosting
- 1 cup powdered sugar sifted
- 1 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter melted and cooled
- 1 ½ tablespoons heavy cream
- ⅛ - ¼ teaspoon peppermint extract amount depends of preferred peppermint flavor
Garnish
- Crushed peppermint candies
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- To a medium bowl add the unsalted butter, sweetened condensed milk and peppermint extract. Using a handheld mixer on medium-high speed, beat together until smooth and no lumps of butter remain.
- To the bowl add the cornstarch and mix on low speed until fully incorporated and the batter is smooth.
- Using a 1 tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop out a level scoop and place onto the prepared baking sheet. Be sure to leave 2 inches between each cookie.
- Bake the peppermint meltaway cookies for 10 -12 minutes or just until lightly golden around the edges.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely on the counter before frosting them.
- While the cookies are baking and cooling you can make the frosting by adding to a medium bowl the powdered sugar, melted butter, heavy cream and peppermint extract.
- Beat the mixture until thick and smooth. The frosting should be spreadable but should hold its shape when added to the cookies. You can add a little extra heavy cream (1 teaspoon at a time) if too thick, or extra powdered sugar (1-2 tablespoons at a time) if too thin.
- Frost each cookie with approximately 2 teaspoons of frosting and sprinkle with the crushed peppermint candy for garnish before plating and serving.
Notes
- When making this cookie dough, start with 1 cup of the cornstarch. If the dough is too soft and sticky, you can add 1-2 tablespoons of additional cornstarch to get your dough to a consistency (like a thick peanut butter) that can be scooped and hold its shape but not too thick. If you add too much cornstarch your cookies will not taste very good, too little and the cookies will spread too much when baked.
- This recipe only makes a single dozen cookies and just enough frosting for a small batch of cookies. You can easily double both the cookie batter and the frosting recipe if desired.
- You can crush up candy canes for the garnish or peppermint star candies if making these during a season that you can not find candy canes.
- You want your butter to be at a very soft room temperature but not melted. You should be able to push your finger through it easily. If your butter is too firm, you can microwave it for 5-8 seconds just to warm it slightly. This makes it blend well with the sweetened condensed milk.
- When making your frosting, start with ⅛ teaspoon then taste for preferred flavor before adding an additional ⅛ teaspoon.
Nutrition
Calories: 172kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 22mg | Sodium: 13mg | Potassium: 36mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 252IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 28mg | Iron: 0.1mg